HIGHLIGHTS
Last confirmed EVD case dies in Liberia; no new confirmed cases detected since March 20
Sierra Leone’s three-day stay-at-home period occurs with widespread compliance
President of Guinea Alpha Condé declares a 45-day health emergency period; closes border between Guinea and Sierra Leone
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) enacted a three-day stay-at-home period on March 27–29. Approximately 8,300 three-person teams—each comprising a nurse, a social mobilizer, and a community task force member—went door-to-door to distribute soap, promote good hygiene practices, and identify possible EVD cases. The GoSL National Ebola Response Center (NERC) reported that teams focused on EVD hotspot areas and did not deploy to four districts that have no current active transmission chains. To date, the NERC has not presented definite EVD-related data resulting from the stay-at-home period.
In order to combat growing numbers of confirmed EVD cases, on March 28 President Alpha Condé of Guinea declared a 45-day health emergency period in Boffa, Coyah, Dubréka, Forécariah, and Kindia districts, as well as the capital city of Conakry, allowing EVD response actors to strengthen EVD response efforts. The declaration provides local Government of Guinea (GoG) officials greater authority to restrict population movements and requires that all dead bodies be systematically tested and buried in a safe and dignified manner. President Condé indicated that individuals who hide EVD-positive persons or persons not part of EVD response burial teams who transport dead bodies will face criminal prosecution for endangering others.
